Lily Law
by JazzyBum
Summary: A teenage girl has to move from her old life and live in a small town for the summer. There, a mother, daughter and grandmother come together after a shocking revelation. Rated M for mentions of abuse. Based off of the film Georgia Rule.
1. Fluorescent Adolescent

A/N Hi this is my first fanfiction, I'm not sure if it's any good but please give it a go and drop in a review if you want. Constructive criticism is welcome :) I have been reading these for years and thought I'd take a wack at it ;) Lol

And I'm from England so if any of the Geography or whatever is wrong then that's why !!

This is supposed to be my year 10 coursework but I ended up getting carried away and wrote loads so I wrote a new 1 for that and thought I'd share this one with you lovely people. Well enjoy anyway :D BTW the chapters may not be that long and sorry about that but they seem a lot longer on word.

Summary: A teenage girl has to leave her life in Hollywood to move to a small town to live with her grandmother for the summer. A mother, daughter and grandmother come together over a shocking revelation. Rated M, there isn't anything too racy but I thought it is better to be on the safe side.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise. It is based off the film Georgia Rule and I used some names from Home and Away. The title of this chapter is the title of a song by the Arctic Monkeys so that is not mine either. I'm not going to keep posting this so anything that you think you know, isn't mine, for the whole story.

Sorry about my long rant, now on with the story.

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**Lily Law.**

**Fluoresent Adolescent  
**

"Come back!"

"No!"

"Nicole for God's sake don't cut off your nose to spite your face"

"What does that even mean?"

"Fine, you know what have it your way, I'll be back for you at the end of summer."

"Whatever!"

It was always like this nowadays. Natalie couldn't remember a time when her and her daughter could just talk and it not be turned into an argument. It was becoming more and more difficult to deal with her and she was getting tired of fighting and punishing, and she was running out of ideas. She'd pop into the house to make sure she knew that Nicole was coming and then get out of there as fast as she possibly could, she couldn't stomach anymore time than that.

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Nicole Franklin was many things but, contrary to popular belief, stupid was not one of them. She knew that her mum had sent her here because she thought that it could sort her out. Well that's not entirely true. Her mum hadn't sent her here, she had come off her own accord. Anything to get away from 'home'. Life wasn't all it was cracked up to be, she definitely knew that. But that's a story for another day, or so she thought. She looked around wondering where to go from here.

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Lily had been pleasantly surprised to here from Natalie after all this time. Actually, surprised is an understatement, it was a complete shock to the system in fact. She hadn't heard from her since 1996, the year her beloved husband died. So here she was waiting for her to arrive with bated breath. When she finally heard the doorbell ring she was at the door within seconds, but not to seem to eager she waited a few seconds before opening it.

"Natalie, how are you?" Lily asked but feigning disinterest, after all they hadn't exactly left things on great terms.

"Im great mother thank you and yourself?" Natalie asked with equal 'disinterest'.

"Wonderful, Now where is my beautiful granddaughter?" Lily asked while walking out onto the porch to look for her.

"Well, I decided to drive down here, I thought it might be good for us, you know bond over a road trip…"

"Where is she?" Lily asked again, quickly losing patience.

"She bolted from the car in the middle of the interstate 40." She sighed dejectedly.

"Well what are we going to do?" Lily asked worriedly, the interstate 40 was still quite a long way away.

"Well I am going to get Nicole's bags out of the boot, get in my car and drive to Peach Springs, I'm meeting some friends." Natalie answered making her way to the car. Lily followed not satisfied with the answer,

"What, so you're just going to drive away knowing your daughter is out somewhere, anywhere, in Arizona. She's only been here once in her life, how is she meant to know where to find me?"

"Oh don't worry, Nicole is very resourceful when she wants to be." Natalie said with conviction, she did raise her for 17 years after all and her mother had only met her once before. " But just in case here is my cell phone number, if she's not back by midnight call me and I'll turn around." She handed the business card to her mother and drove off.

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Nicole's legs gave way eventually, after walking God knows how many miles. The sun was blazing high in the sky, it was so not the time to be doing, literally, cross-country walking. She found some shelter from the sun under a billboard and lay there thinking. How had she ended up ruining her new Louboutins by walking this insane distance? It was ridiculous; all she wanted was to have a fun summer before starting school in the fall. Maybe go to Tijuana, always fun, or maybe the Hampton's, good old Ray has a house there. But no I'm stuck here in Hicksville, Arizona. The sound of a car approaching snapped Nicole out of her daydream. The ugliest car to ever grace the earth was staring back at her. Oh well what else did she expect, a Mustang? But…hold up, the driver was a major hottie, if they all looked like this then maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

"Hey, are you alright there?" The unnamed 'hottie' asked.

" Oh yeah I'm just great" Nicole smirked as she looked him up at him, he definitely worked out.

"What are you doing led down there all alone?" He questioned, face screwing up in confusion. Now as mentioned earlier, Nicole was not stupid, but she was many other things. These things include; spoilt, flirty, slightly promiscuous, a drama queen, and not by any means modest, meaning she knows she's pretty and uses it to her advantage.

"Admiring the view, so cutie what's your name?" Nicole giggled at the blush that crept up his neck.

"Geoff, and yours?" He replied

"Nicole, nice to meet you Geoff" Instead of giving her hand to shake as most people do, she leaned up and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek.

"Oi Geoff stop slacking and get back to work" Now another vehicle had pulled up and this was more like it! The driver, if possible was even hotter than Geoff. "Hey sweetheart haven't seen you round here before" He hollered at Nicole, eying her up and down.

"That's because I haven't been around before!" Nicole sauntered over to the car, throwing a quick smile back at Geoff before hopping into the new guys car. "Sweet ride, I had one once but I crashed it." If the guy was taken aback by her forwardness he didn't show it.

"So what's a gorgeous thing like yourself doing in Flagstaff, Arizona?" He asked intrigued.

"Jail time" She answered bluntly. At his questioning glance she elaborated, "Well feels like it anyway. Mum couldn't handle me so shipped me off with Grandma Dearest."

"Why can't you phone someone to come and get you?" He asked.

"My mother cut off my cell service. She's a gem" Nicole answered sarcastically and threw her phone into the bushes. He didn't reply just watched her.

"The names Nicole" She offered, feeling slightly uncomfortable under his intense stare.

"Aden, Aden Jeffries" He told her as he started the engine on his yellow Mini Cooper, "So Nicole, where you goin'?"

"West Cherry Avenue if you'd be so kind, Aden" He revved the car which made her laugh. As they sped away she waved goodbye to a still watching Geoff.

"So, what are you gay or something?" Nicole asked, adopting an innocent voice.

"What are you talking about?" he asked back.

"Well, we've been driving for ages and I've gone the whole way with my legs up on the dashboard and my dress very high up my thigh, yet you've barely glanced my way." Nicole told him with slight amusement in her voice.

"Well, I have been driving, and to answer your question no I'm not gay. Ask any girl in this town, he gestured around the buildings they were approaching.

"Ok, I may just do that." She laughed and sat back in her seat.

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Aden Jeffries wasn't the type of guy you messed with. He had a reputation, especially with the ladies. He could be a bully if pushed but otherwise kept to himself, he was definitely not the type of guy you would brand nice. Geoff, on the other hand, was a typical nice boy. He and his sister Anne lived with their uncle near the town centre and Geoff worked for the local farmer. One of the things about Flagstaff was that it was so small, everyone knew everyone. So that, depending on the type of person you are could be classed as good thing or a bad thing.

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Lily Franklin had never really surrounded herself with people, so she tended to keep even her family at arms length. But now she was paying the price, she was turning 60 and no one to look after her. Which is why she was so delighted to hear Nicole was coming to stay. But sitting here now waiting for her to come, she was reconsidering being alone, she never had to think of anyone else's wellbeing while she was alone. Finally after endless hours of waiting, she grabbed her coat and set out to look for her. But just as she stepped off her porch she came face to face with the spitting image of Natalie at 17. She had beautiful long blonde hair, the same mouth, and nose, even the same beauty mark in the exact same place as her mums, on her chin. The only difference was the eyes, they were crystal blue, the kind that if you looked too much you could feel yourself drowning in them. They were the only things that she inherited look-wise from her dad.

"Nicole" Lily whispered, truly stunned at how alike her and her mother were.

"Yeah I'm here, unfortunately." Nicole smirked and pushed past Lily into the house. Apparently her looks weren't the only thing she inherited from her mother. Oh boy, this was going to be fun!


	2. Sugar We're Going Down

Title: song by Fall Out Boy.

**Sugar We're Going Down**

When she first woke up Nicole was confused as to where she was or how she got there, it just definitely wasn't her bed. For one the bed was lumpy and something was sticking awkwardly out of her ribs. Then she realised not only where she was but also that she had fallen asleep on the couch and the rib-digging thing was her old teddy bear, what was his name again? Oh she couldn't remember, but another thing she noticed was that she was being watched. Lily had been perched on the coffee table silently observing the way Nicole looked so peaceful while sleeping. Nicole's intense gaze shook her out of her reverie.

"You were 5 when I got you that, you named him Guppy remember?" Lily watched as Nicole looked lovingly towards the long forgotten teddy that she clutched so hard on that day.

"Yeah I remember, Grampy and uncle Noel's funeral. Couldn't you have helped me pick out a better name, one that at least made sense?" Nicole looked up and for the slightest moment felt like that innocent child again, but she hadn't been her in a long, long time.

"It made sense to you. That was a hard day on all of us, especially you. You were so young…Anyway how did you sleep?" Not liking where the conversation was heading, Lily quickly changed the subject.

"Not great." Nicole got up and stretched, she needed to stop going down memory lane or she'll cave and that couldn't happen.

"Yes, well next time sleep upstairs, Lily law." Lily stated and stalked off towards the kitchen. Nicole stood shocked for a moment, what had just happened? But then she remembered this was why her mum hated Lily so much. She was controlling and slightly manipulative, must run in the family.

"Don't give me that 'Lily law' bull you pulled with my mother because you aren't her and I don't take too kindly to orders." Nicole raised her voice, where the hell did she get off talking to her like that; she had only met the woman once.

"Sit down and eat some breakfast, you must be starving after you missed dinner." Lily purposefully ignored what her granddaughter had said because she knew sooner or later she would abide by the rules set in the Franklin household. Nicole huffed but eventually gave in and sat down.

"Ewww, what is this stuff?" Nicole whined examining the gloop in front of her.

"Porridge, now eat up you're gonna need your strength today" Lily tried to suppress a smirk as Nicole's face adopted a rather confused look while dishing herself some 'gloop', "You'll be helping me out at the summer fate."

Nicole stood and began ranting, "What do you mean helping you out? I never agreed to help you, and what kind of place actually does summer fates, aren't they like for hillbillies or something?" Lily just carried on eating her porridge as if nothing were amiss. Nicole went to leave but Lily's voice stopped her,

"Wash your dishes"

"Was that an order or a request" Nicole asked, irritation clear in her voice.

"You finished, so wash your dishes" Lily smiled as Nicole let out an aggravated squeal and started washing her dishes.

Nicole took one look at the school and knew she wasn't going to enjoy this holiday one bit. If these were the schools than what would the rest of the town be like. The laughable thing was that this so called school was a private one.

"If this is what you call private education I'd hate to see a public one!" Nicole laughed at her own attempt at a joke.

Lily shook her head and manoeuvred Nicole to the field where the stalls would be set up. This was going to be a long day.

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Setting up the fate hadn't been as drastic as Nicole had first assumed. She had plenty of help from lots of cute boys, a few not so cute ones too but hey, beggars can't be choosers.

People had just started arriving when Nicole spotted Geoff hanging by himself.

"Hey, Geoff right?" Nicole asked as she walked over to him.

"Oh…um yes hi Nicole." He gazed around nervously not knowing what to do.

"You looking for someone gorgeous?" Nicole asked leaning in to speak in his ear. She didn't notice someone come up behind her until they repeatedly tapped on her shoulder.

"What?" Nicole asked with annoyance.

"That's my boyfriend your with" Some girl stated with a floral, just under the knee dress on. It looked like something you'd wear to church.

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't know it was a crime to talk to a boy," Nicole just glared at this sorry excuse for a girl.

"Look, I know you're not from round here, so let me tell you a few things; it's a small town as you might have guessed so word gets around pretty fast and I've heard some interesting things about you already, so I'd be careful if I were you." This church girl tried and failed an evil smirk.

"And just so you know, I don't scare too easily" Nicole whispered just loud enough for her to hear, she turned to Geoff, winked and then walked off.

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By about 2 o'clock everyone had heard about her from that chick now identified as Christie and were ignoring her, even Geoff. Towards the end she started getting fed up, wanting to go home, crawl under the duvet and not come out until the end of summer. She had meant what she said to Christie about not scaring easily, she thrived off controversy and upheaval but lately she has been getting tired of being the 'wild one', she just wanted to be accepted for who she was for once and not pretend to be something she wasn't. Plus she hadn't seen Aden at all which made it worse.

Lily had heard the rumours going around about Nicole and she couldn't help but wonder why she would just accept that without a care. She may not have been in Nicole's life a whole lot but she did know that she had her dad's competitive streak and he never would back down, so it got Lily wondering why she wasn't fighting back. It was a mystery and it would have to stay that way because they definitely weren't close enough for Lily to probe into Nicole's life, not through the lack of trying though.

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Natalie had been enjoying her time so far without having to worry about what Nicole was up to. She was such a problem child and Natalie didn't know why, she thought she had been a good mother, nothing like her own. But Nicole still turned out bad; maybe she didn't know what she was doing after all.

"Mrs Dean your card." The sales clerk had obviously been trying to get her attention for a while because a queue had formed behind her.

"Thank you" Natalie replied and walked out of Bendals with her many bags. Now Nicole wasn't there she could spend more time with her husband.

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"I got you a job" Lily stated over breakfast the next morning.

"You did what?" Nicole shouted, what the hell did she want a job for?

"When you live in this house, you will work, Lily law" She replied.

Nicole let out a scream and stormed upstairs.

"Be ready in 10 minutes, I'll walk you down." Lily shouted up after her. "She is going to learn some life lessons in this house whether she likes it or not" Lily muttered under her breath and walked into the kitchen.

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Flagstaff had everything you would need to survive, but not much more. They had a mall and a movie theatre but that's about it. The closest place for anything remotely close to LA was Phoenix, and despite it being the biggest state in Arizona, that was still pushing it. Nicole had never lived in a place where everyone was so close they were practically living in each other's pockets. While walking Lily had greeted and chatted with almost every person they saw. She had introduced Nicole and they had politely said hello, but all the while giving her disdainful looks. She couldn't stand the way they thought so highly of themselves when they were just lowly, country folk. As they came to a street corner Lily stopped and pointed to a relative sized building,

"That's the doctors surgery where you will be working, starting today." Lily told Nicole watching for her reaction.

"How long for?" Nicole asked, watching the place with a disgusted look.

"Every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday until you leave." Lily replied, liking the fact that Nicole was not playing up as much as she thought she would. They said goodbye and Lily watched as Nicole walked towards the surgery, head held high among all the stares and whispers.

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"Hello, may I help you?" The woman at the desk asked when Nicole walked in.

"Hi, my name is Nicole Franklin…"Nicole started,

"Oh yes Lily's Granddaughter! Welcome, I'm Penny, the receptionist. Could you just mind the desk a second?" Penny asked smiling brightly.

"Sure" Nicole replied walking behind the desk. The room was quite dull in colour but the furniture more than made up for it. The couches were a violet colour as were the curtains that adorned the windows. The wood flooring was a dark, wine like colour and the walls were covered in colourful paintings and posters. It felt homely and inviting.

"Ok, now this is Dr. Jeffries. He is our main doctor and he will be looking after the place while I am away. Now your job will be to mind the desk and help Dr. Jeffries, kind of like a nurse would." Penny told Nicole, with Dr. Jeffries stood next to her.

"Hi" Nicole said to him, "I'm Nicole."

"Hello, Im Dr Jeffries, and this," He said pointing to a man walking into the surgery, "Is my son, Aden, this is Nicole" He beckoned Aden over and they shook hands.

"Nice to see you again." Aden smirked down at her.

"Yeah it is." Nicole returned her smirk and turned to face Penny. "So you're not going to be here?"

"No, so you'll be doing my job," Penny smiled at her, "Take care of them." With that she walked out leaving Nicole to figure out what to do.

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The day went by quite fast for Nicole and before she knew it, it was time to go home.

"So how has your first day been?" Aden appeared behind her.

"It's actually been ok thanks. So what exactly do you do here?" Nicole asked with genuine interest.

"I just help my dad, entertain the patients, that kind of thing." Aden replied. Nicole just nodded and turned to the desk to grab her things. She could feel him watching her and for some reason it made her feel vulnerable.

"How are you getting home?" Aden wondered aloud.

"Walking, it's not too far from here." Nicole replied turning back to face him.

"Well let me walk you back, it's not safe for a lady to walk alone." Aden said, ever courteous.

"Sure, just let me tell your dad I'm leaving." Nicole wandered off smiling.

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They walked in silence for a while, not knowing what to say.

"I heard what everyone is saying about you." Aden said after a long silence.

"Oh really? So how come you're still here? I mean you wouldn't want to ruin your reputation by hanging out with someone as 'wild' as me" Nicole challenged.

"I was actually going to say the same thing to you." Aden replied.

"What?" Nicole was honestly shocked. She thought he was like Geoff, in fact she thought everyone round here was like Geoff. She never really thought that anyone in Flagstaff would be as troubled as her. Wasn't it all pony's and friendliness? Maybe she had this town completely wrong.

"You didn't think you were the only one did you?" Aden laughed at her scowl.

"No, I just didn't think anyone here would abandon one of their own, but hey I guess I got it wrong." She thought that Aden had seemed different after he gave her a lift to Lily's. She should really learn not to judge a book by its cover, or in this case multiple books by one cover.

"Anyway enough about that, lets talk about you. Like where are you from?" Aden skilfully steered the conversation away from him and onto her, obviously sensing it was her favourite topic.

"Well I was born in Sydney Australia." At his shocked look she smirked, "Ha, yeah shocker hey? But I grew up in LA after my mum met a guy. She's not with him anymore surprisingly but she's with an even richer guy, his names Ray. We now live in Beverly Hills." Nicole summed up her life in one paragraph. Aden was quiet again for a while, processing what she had told him. "What about you?"

"Well, I grew up in the San Fernando Valley, so not that far away from you. And then my mum died when I was 11 and my dad wasn't coping very well so he sent us to live with my Nan here in Flagstaff. Then a few years later he realised that he was wasting his life so he came to get us and found a place here and a job. So here I am." Nicole was shocked for, like the fourth time that day.

"Wow, I'm sorry." Nicole replied sincerely.

"It's ok, I'm over it." Aden said, staring ahead. Nicole looked up and realised they were on her street, had it really been that long?

"Well thanks for walking me home." Nicole started, realising they would be approaching Lily's house any moment.

"No problem…um Nicole, would you like to go out tonight?" Aden asked warily, "You know, I could show you round and stuff."

"Um, yeah sure I don't see why not." Nicole agreed, smiling.

"Great," He beamed, "Pick you up at 8?"

"Sure, and bring your car." Nicole winked and walked off.

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Watching her granddaughter's frantic movements around the house as she ranted about being late for her date made Lily smile. When Nicole had returned home and asked her, when actually told her she would be going out, Lily had been surprised. Last she heard, everyone had been ignoring her and spreading rumours. She didn't know who it was but she was waiting by the door ready to answer it before Nicole. Nicole, on the other hand wasn't concerned with who would be answering the door, she was more worried about what to wear. She actually liked Aden and wanted to make a good impression, especially considering she wasn't likely to make many friends here. She didn't have that many friends in Hollywood either, it wasn't that she was hated or even disliked like she was here, no it was more her fault. She never liked getting close to people, afraid that she would have to leave them. Plus then you couldn't have secrets, and how she loved secrets!

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Nervous was not even close to how Aden felt as he walked up the steps to the porch. He really liked Nicole and his track record with women wasn't exactly perfect. Stuff happened and it had made him wary. But wasn't everyone at some point in their life? He just had to face his fears, however that was easier said then done. So standing here at her door he was pondering turning around and heading home. "Come on Aden, you can do this! Just forget Josie and move on." He murmured and raised his hand to knock.

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"Could you answer that Grandma?" Nicole shouted down. Lily braced herself and answered the door with strange feeling in her stomach, was it worry? She hadn't felt that since Natalie had moved out, she had almost forgotten what it was like to have someone to look out for. The unsettling feeling increased with one look at who was behind the door. Of course her granddaughter would pick the most notorious boy in the town.

"Hello Mrs Franklin, is Nicole in?" Aden smiled politely; he always had hated the 'meet the parents' routine, although in this case it was meet the grandparent.

"Yes, she's just finishing getting ready. Come in please." Lily ushered the boy into her house. "Can I get you anything?"

"No thank you I'm fine." Aden heard a gasp and turned to see Nicole come down the stairs looking beautiful.

"You look just like your mother." Lily told her with tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. Nicole smiled and turned to Aden,

"You look stunning Nic, you really do." Aden was in awe.

"Thank you, shall we go?" Nicole asked. Aden took her arm and lead her out the door.

"Be home by twelve!" Lily called watching them walk away with a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach.

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They drove around aimlessly for a while, just chatting and laughing and exploring the town, which didn't take long. And then they went to a pool hall near the mall.

"If everyone knows everyone around here, how did you get us alcohol, in a bar no less?" Nicole asked bewildered.

"Well, it helps when you know the owner. Also the cops are so laid back, as long as we don't cause trouble they turn a blind eye." Aden replied handing her a cosmopolitan. It also amazed Nicole that they sell cocktails in pool halls, but apparently it attracts more business. So who was she to complain?

"So missy, fancy a game of pool?" He asked her between sipping his beer.

"Sure, but get ready to be beaten by a girl!" She picked up a cue and pointed it at him, "Whoever pots one asks the other person a question, it could be like truth or dare but without the dares and it could help us get to know each other better."

"Your on" Aden replied. He arranged the balls and broke them. "Let the games begin!"


	3. Wake Up Call

A/n This chapter is really short but it is very important.

Title: song by Hayden Panettiere.

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**Wake Up Call**

"Yes! I won fair and square." Nicole shouted over the music.

"Ok, ok but no more silly questions, let's go hardcore." Aden stated.

"Ok then, what age did you lose your virginity?" Nicole asked with a slight smirk.

"15." Aden told her, his good mood slightly dying as he thought about it. "Ok, next round."

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This went on for a while until they got bored and decided to quit pool.

"I can't believe it's only 11pm it feels later than that!" Nicole exclaimed examining her watch.

"I know we've still got an hour before you have to go home. Hey I've got and idea, come with me!" He grabbed her hand and led her towards the river.

"Wow, it's beautiful!" Nicole sat on the edge of the bank and motioned for Aden to sit next to her, "Lets sit and talk." They sat for a while making idle chitchat and admiring the view. Aden watched Nicole, thinking of their game of pool and the things he'd learnt about her, but he realised that it actually had been more him doing the answering.

"So Nic, what age did you lose your virginity then?" Aden asked looking out at the river.

"What?" Nicole asked, shaken from her daydream.

"What age did you lose your virginity? I answered now it's your turn."

"Um, oh look at the time it's 11:45, we'd better head back." Nicole got up and gathered her coat and bag from the grass.

"Nic, are you alright?" Aden got up aswell.

"Yeah I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you just went really weird." He walked over to her, "Nic, Nicole look at me please." Aden pleaded. She finally looked up at him and he noticed tears in her eyes, threatening to spill.

"Can you just take me home?" Her eyes were silently begging with him, so he gave in. They walked the rest of the way in silence.

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When Nicole got in a few minutes before curfew, Lily had to admit she was impressed. She thought she would have to work a little bit harder at getting somewhere with Nicole but apparently not. However, she was looking forward to having a girly chat with her all about her date, but as soon as she was in the door she ran up to her room and slammed the door. Lily could have sworn she just had déjà vu. It was just like having Natalie around again. Now, Lily would be the first to admit that she had made some terrible life choices in the past. For example, putting her career ahead of her child. Everyone always told her "You'll make a fantastic mother one day" and "Oh don't worry, just be the best mother you can be." Well, she wasn't a fantastic mother and she wasn't even the best she could be. The truth is, she couldn't handle the fact that another life needed her as much as she needed herself. To have someone so dependant on you is frightening. So instead of embracing the fear and learning, she buried herself in her work and left her child to mainly fend for herself. And not a day goes by when she doesn't regret that decision. She even tried to make it right with her other child, not that it made a difference. But the thing that Lily found most surprising was that every play or parent-teacher conference she missed, Natalie would say to her "I will never treat my child the way you treat me," yet here Nicole is, left with her grandmother and Natalie is off somewhere doing whatever she's doing and treating her daughter the same way I treated her. So while Lily is trying to rectify her mistakes, her daughter is making the same ones, and the only one in the end that will get hurt is poor, innocent Nicole.

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The next day was hell for Nicole. Not only had she been dodging questions from her grandmother all morning, she now had to work with Aden and his questioning eyes. What had she gotten herself into? She was usually so good with lying, but with Aden it was different. She came so close to just blurting it out, but that could never happen, not again. She couldn't go through that again. So when lunchtime rolled round, Nicole hopped out from behind the desk and ran out the door. Wandering around for a while, she eventually found herself at the river again. Sometimes she wondered if it would be easier to just tell everyone. She didn't owe them any favours, but something always held her back, and she knew that she couldn't do it to her.

"Hey Nic" The sound of someone's voice made her jump. She quickly got to her feet, ready to make a quick escape. "Look, can you just please stop avoiding me and just talk."

"I'm not avoiding you, and there's nothing to talk about. I promise." She tried her best at a convincing smile, but she wasn't fooling anyone. She quickly told him she had to get back to work, but he could walk with her if he liked.

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The next morning Lily had sat Nicole down and tried to talk to her.

"So, you and Aden, what's going on there?" Lily asked as she sat on the coffee table across from Nicole.

"Nothing, why?" Nicole sat up straight, she hated people prying.

"I'd just hate to see you get hurt. He's an infamous womaniser," Lily stated.

"Oh, don't preach to me about what I can and can't do!" Nicole shouted defensively. "Besides, we can't stop what's done to us, we can only hope to survive it."

"Oh yeah, and what would you possibly know about surviving? You're seventeen for Gods sake. So you're trapped in Flagstaff for the summer, I really feel for you. You have no idea what it takes to survive!" She was being a bit harsh and she knew it, but she wanted Nicole to open up to her. Plus it's true, what could she have possibly been through to be so cynical in life?

"Oh and you invented it didn't you? You have a dead husband and a dead son, and a daughter that hates your guts. You've battled cancer on your own and we're all so proud that your still here! Well I was 13 when Ray started having sex with me! So we can all survive, we just don't have to mope about it all the damn time!" Nicole stormed upstairs leaving a dazed and confused Lily.


	4. Build God, Then We Talk

Title: song by Panic At The Disco

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**Build God Then We Talk**

Natalie was having breakfast in bed when she got the phone call. Ray had just made her a massive fry up and even put a rose on the tray! Her daughter just couldn't leave it alone could she? Why did she always have to make a scene? She just wanted a normal life with a normal family and not have all these constant dramas surrounding her teenage daughter. Was that too much to ask? Now on her way to Flagstaff for the second time this week, she had to have a cigarette to get her through it! She had quit 17 years ago when she fell pregnant with Nicole. She didn't want to risk her child's health. She was supposed to be a better mother than her own was to her. But she failed. How did she turn her beautiful daughter into a monster? Drinking, taking drugs and all that jazz. Her mother had always complained that she was a problem child but she was never this bad surely. Some of the things that girl would do for attention was unbelievable! Only one and a half hours to go until she has it out with her daughter once and for all.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Aden had got the call and ran straight to Lily's house.

"Where is she?" He asked, breathless.

"In her room, I hope you have better luck with her." Lily pointed in the right direction and waited for the inevitable bomb to go off as soon as Natalie got here.

"Nic, are you in there?" Aden knocked, waiting for an answer, "Right, I'm coming in." He pushed the door open to find Nicole huddled in the corner of the room crying her eyes out. He ran over to her and held her, whispering comforting words in her ear, anything to stop her from crying so hard.

Eventually he got her to calm down a little bit. But she was still silently weeping and shaking like a leaf.

"Do you want to tell me what's going on?" Aden asked softly, not wanting to push her. After a couple of minutes Nicole looked up and said:

"You know how you asked me what age I was when I lost my virginity?" She asked so quietly, he had to strain to hear her.

"Yeah…" He prompted her to continue.

"Well, my stepfather, Ray, um, he kind of um," Nicole stuttered over her words, trying to say it again. "Well, I was 14."

"Right, so what's that got to do with your step…" He trailed off as realisation took over, "He forced you?" Nicole nodded.

"She told me to stop telling lies and that I was a tease and if he had made a move, which she doubted, then it would have been my fault!" Nicole explained and let out a heart-wrenching sob.

"She?" He questioned but got no answer, "Come on, lets get you out of here, we'll go for a drive ok?" Aden helped her up and guided her out the door.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

"She's lying!" Natalie announced as she stormed into the lounge room.

"You drove all the way from LA to tell me that?" Lily walked past Natalie into the kitchen. Natalie followed, trying to maintain her calm exterior.

"She's a compulsive liar! She always has been, and you would of known that had you been in her life at all." Natalie shot back.

"Well, had you have let me yes I would have known that."

"You know, she told me he made a pass at her after I found cocaine in her room. And then she told me that he had raped her after I found her with a needle in my en-suite bathroom!" Natalie ranted ignoring the gasp from Lily, "I told you, she just lies to cover her back! I'm not falling for it this time, she's gone too far. Bringing my poor Ray into it! I asked him aswell, and do you know what? He denied it."

"You knew? How could you just ignore that?" Lily asked, disgusted.

"Don't tell me you believe her?" Natalie asked in disbelief.

"I'm calling her father!" Lily walked away to get the phone.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Roman Harris had always dreamt of going into the army. So when his girlfriend in high school got pregnant, he thought his dream of becoming an army troop was shattered. Of course he would put his own child in front of a silly dream, because that was more important. However when his childhood sweetheart's grandparents instructed that he stay as far away as possible from her and their unborn baby he didn't have a reason to stay. So off he went to army, eventually becoming a member of the very elite SAS. But after a while he realised that his dream wasn't all it was cracked up to be and he could potentially be making one of the biggest mistakes of his life, giving up his baby. So he left the force and went on a search for his baby. By this time it was fifteen years later and he had no idea whether he even had a boy or a girl. After a while he managed to track them down. Natalie had done well for herself. She had a rich husband, a lovely house and his little girl. She was beautiful. She had her mothers everything except for her eyes. She had his eyes! He had spent a few months in LA getting to know her and they had got on really well and he loved her. Then he moved out into the countryside, but letting Nicole know that if she ever needed anything, he would be there. When he got a call from Lily, he knew it was urgent so he booked the earliest flight available and ran.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

"Where is she?" Natalie finally asked after minutes of unbearable silence.

"She's out, with a friend." Lily answered grabbing herself a scotch. She hadn't drunk in over 30 years but she desperately needed it.

"Typical, she's out having fun while the rest of us pick up the pieces." Natalie shook her head and examined the pictures on the mantle. "Where's the picture of dad and Noel?"

"It's in the spare bedroom." Lily answered, looking away. Her husband and her little boy were still a sore subject. Her husband had been driving her 16-year-old son to football when a train derailed at a crossing and crushed them, "And for the record, Nicole will most definitely not be having fun, she left here in a massive state."

Natalie was about to retort but there was a knock at the door. Lily rushed to the door and opened it inviting the person in.

"Hi Lily where is she?" Roman asked stepping in from the pouring rain.

"She's not back yet, but come in and make yourself comfortable."

"Hi Nat, so would somebody like to fill me in on what's going on?" Roman wondered looking around.

"Yes, your daughter is a liar and a drama queen." Natalie replied.

"Roman, just take a seat, I think it would be best if Nicole told you, then you can make your own assumptions." Lily took his soaking wet coat to put on the radiator.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Aden had done what he could to try and take Nicole's mind off of her mother and step-father and it had worked for a little bit, but now they were returning home and Nicole was back to being scared and guarded. When they walked into Lily's living area you could cut the tension with a knife.

"Daddy!" Nicole ran up to her dad and gave him a bear hug. It was clear that her and her father got on a lot better than her and her mum.

"Hi sweetheart. So who is this?" Roman asked referring to Aden.

"Oh yeah, dad meet Aden. Aden this is my dad, Roman." Nicole had considerably cheered up after seeing her dad.

"Great, now that we've got the niceties over and done with, why don't we move on to the fact that my daughter is a dirty, little liar?" Natalie spoke with malice.

"Mum" Nicole acknowledged.

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Nicole took her father into the kitchen and let him know what has been happening.

"And when did it stop?" Roman asked while holding his crying daughter.

"When I was fifteen, after a friend of mine threatened him." Nicole replied through tears. Lily, Natalie and Aden were sat in the lounge waiting for the other two to walk in so they could begin the conversation.

"Is it ok if me and Nicole have a chance to talk alone when she comes back in please?" Nat asked the other two. After seeing her daughter in tears it sobered her anger a little bit.

"Yes, I don't see why not." Lily answered. Roman and Nicole emerged from the kitchen a few minutes later and Natalie pulled Roman aside.

"You don't believe her do you?" Natalie asked, eagerness displayed on her face.

"Yes I do, why wouldn't I?"

"Because this is what she does, lies to get attention. How could you believe her after everything she's done?"

"Because she's my daughter, and I'll believe her no matter what she says. That's what a parent does." Roman told her and walked off towards the group.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

"Right Nicole, I'm going to try and get to the bottom of this." Natalie started.

"Get to the bottom of what?" Nicole asked confused.

"Why you need so much attention. Why you make up horrible, painful lies because I'm losing patience and I don't have any other weapon to use against you other then my love and I do love you, so much. Ok? So why don't we start from the beginning?"

"Because I'd rather finish it right here!" Nicole shouted and stormed upstairs. Natalie followed while shouting her name. She came to a halt at Nicole's door. She tried it but to no ones surprise, it was locked.

"Nicole, open up. Please Nicole. I want to talk. I need to talk, just so I can understand." Natalie begged. There was some movement on the other side of the door and Nicole opened the door slightly.

"What do you want me to say?" Nicole asked tiredly.

The other three had gone upstairs to give them some privacy. But now as the fight moved upstairs they were listening in waiting for their cue to come in and stop the brawl. Hearing Nicole's fragile voice, Roman stepped out so she could go to him if need be.

"Just say that he never touched you" Natalie said.

"He never touched me, ok?" Nicole screamed and slammed her door. She then reopened it and whispered:

"He never touched me, never begged me not to tell you, he never told me it was my fault. Never mum, he never did any of that." Nicole broke down at the end of that and ran towards her father who had walked out of Lily's room.

"Oh My God, it's true!" Natalie whispered. She stumbled down the stairs, got into her car and cried. She cried for all the years Nicole has suffered, she cried for herself, at her being so blind to not notice and for accusing her daughter of lying, she cried for her mother who had brought this situation to light. She cried for everything that had happened in the last 5 years that she has been with Ray, maybe even before then. She had unintentionally ruined her daughter's life, and she would never forgive herself!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

"I want a divorce!" Natalie stated into the phone.

"_**What are you talking about?"**_ She hung up the phone and let out a breath. Her phone rang and rang but she ignored it. She had spent the entire night in her car, thinking of what was the best thing for her daughter and decided that killing Ray wasn't the best idea, no matter how badly she wanted to! However, she knew that if she let him speak then she would cave and let him try and worm his way out of it and that couldn't happen, for the sake of her baby girl. So she decided on asking for a divorce and then hanging up. She also contemplated running away but that was definitely not an option. Ray Dean was history, and surprisingly she wasn't a crumbling mess like she thought she'd be.


	5. Reflections

Title: by Mariah Carey. I thought the song really fit with the mood of this chapter, so I posted the lyrics on the bottom of the chapter and the link to the song is in my profile.

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**Reflections.**

Nicole had fallen asleep not long after her and Natalie's argument. She woke up a little after 8 the next morning in her father's arms. She slipped out of the room trying not to wake him and went downstairs. She had work that day so she got ready and quietly walked out the door. Her mother's car was still outside the house, which was weird. She thought her mum had gone back to LA already. Oh well, she quickened her pace wanting to escape, but it was too late. Natalie opened the car door to come face to face with Nicole. They just stared at each other for a while, not knowing what to say until Lily came out of the house.

"Nicole, you forgot your…" She stopped when she saw Natalie, "Um, your lunch and Aden's still inside, do you want to wait and walk with him?"

"Yeah, sure I'll go and get him" Nicole took one last look at her mum and brushed past her grandmother. Lily walked towards Natalie and took in her appearance.

"Don't tell me you slept in your car?" Natalie merely nodded, she looked down at her phone to see it endlessly ringing. She flipped it open and turned the damn thing off.

"You spoke to him didn't you?" Lily asked, gently touching Natalie's shoulder. Natalie told her yes and broke down crying.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

That evening Nicole had gone out with Aden and Roman had gone to the shop to get something for dinner. So that left Lily and Natalie alone to talk. They had discussed everything from what had been happening to what they were going to do now. Eventually Natalie had fallen asleep on the couch, leaving Lily to do housework. A little while after, there was a knock on the door. Not expecting anyone that wouldn't just walk in, Lily had a look outside. There was a Ferrari was parked next to Natalie's car. She yanked opened the door and stormed towards her visitor.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Lily questioned forcefully.

"Hello Lily, I'm Ray it's lovely to finally meet you. Is Natalie here?" Ray asked suavely.

"I asked you what you were doing here!" Lily shouted, losing patience.

"Well, my wife left yesterday morning not saying anything, so I just guessed that Nicole was being a spoilt princess and done something for attention again. But then I get a call this morning asking for a divorce, so I'm a little confused. Can I please know where my wife is now?"

"She's asleep and I'd rather you not disturb her, she's had a rough night." Lily replied, looking over his shoulder at a rapidly approaching Aden and Nicole. The look on her face at seeing him was proof enough that she wasn't lying, not that she thought she was in the first place. It was a look of pure hatred and…fear. It made Lily want to grab her baseball bat and beat him with it. She grabbed Aden's hand for some kind of safety. At his concerned look she nodded her head in Ray's direction. Aden's fist clenched and he pulled her closer.

"Nicole, do you know where your mother is?" Ray turned to see Nicole cuddle up to Aden and the latter swore he saw jealousy flash in his eyes.

"Don't you dare speak to her you sick pervert!" Aden shouted holding tighter to Nicole.

"Just take her inside I'll deal with him." Lily told him while glaring at Ray. When they were out of earshot Lily spoke,

"If you don't get the hell off of my property, I'll get my baseball bat and smash your windscreen! Do I make myself clear?"

"I really don't understand what is going on, can I just speak to Nat? Please." He pleaded to no avail.

"Did you really think that no one would find out? Did you just think that she'd be a good little girl and go through life harbouring that massive secret? Did you? I curse the day you were born." Lily seethed. She spied Roman walking towards the house with a scowl on his face.

"Look I don't know what she has told you, but she is a liar and an attention seeker and…" He never got to finish what he was saying as Roman forcefully turned him round and punched him in the nose.

"Never, ever come near my daughter again, you scumbag!" Roman walked over him and into the house with Lily following behind.

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"I know he was here." Natalie said after an hour of Lily and Roman making awkward small talk and skirting round the fact.

"Yes, well he left." Lily stated, "And I don't think that he will be coming back anytime soon." She glanced at Roman as she said that. Natalie questioned what had happened but they just brushed her off saying that they had told him she was asleep and she didn't want to see him. She seemed to accept it for now and the case was closed.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxo

Meanwhile, Aden had been upstairs with Nicole fuming. He had paced the floor so many times; Nicole was worried that he would wear a hole in the carpet.

"How dare he come here after what he did to you!" Aden shouted.

"Just calm down ok, he probably just came for my mum."

"But, how can you just sit there and not care? I mean how can you be so chilled about it all?" Aden asked.

"Because I have had to live with him for 3 years after it first happened. I learned to accept it and move on." Nicole looked away, tears gathering in her eyes.

"Yes, but you shouldn't have to accept it. It shouldn't have happened at all." He walked over to the bed and knelt down in front herself, "Why didn't you tell anyone, I mean why keep it to yourself?"

"I did tell someone, and we sorted it out by ourselves. It was never meant to be mentioned again." Nicole told him. He looked shocked but didn't press further.

"And, what did you mean yesterday when you said 'she told you'?" He asked.

"My mum." He gasped but motioned for her to continue, "I told her exactly what he did to me and she just told me to stop it."

_Flashback-2006._

"_Hey, mum can I speak to you for a minute please." A 15-year-old Nicole walked up to a flustered Natalie._

"_Sweetheart, can't it wait? I'm in the middle of organizing __**the **__party of the season, you know that some of Ray's clients are coming and I need everything to be perfect." Natalie continued ordering people around, telling them where to put things._

"_But mum this really can't wait, it's more important than your stupid party." _

"_Okay fine but make it snappy." Natalie replied._

"_Can we go somewhere a little less open?" Nicole asked, gesturing to the kitchen filled with workers. Natalie nodded and led her into the study._

"_Right, mum I need you to know that I love you and I never wanted to hurt you. That is why I kept it quiet for so long."_

"_Can you just spit it out please darling, I am so late for picking up my dress."_

"_Fine, well two years ago when you were away on one of your many business trips, Ray came into my room and he…he raped me." Nicole whispered the last part so quietly that Natalie barely heard her._

"_He what? I couldn't have possibly heard you correctly. You are accusing my husband, my faithful, wonderful husband of abusing my very under aged, liar of a daughter?" Natalie questioned._

"_Yes, and I'm so sorry, I never wanted this to happen, and I never wanted to hurt you."_

"_What, you expect me to believe you? Where is your proof?"_

"_Well I don't have any proof, but with you being my mum and all I guess I just assumed that you would believe me over that sleaze." Nicole told her._

"_That 'sleaze' as you so kindly put it is my husband and he has never lied to me, whereas you, well I can't even count how many times you have lied to me. I can't believe you could make up a lie so vicious and spiteful. In fact I wouldn't put it past you to try and seduce him, you always were jealous of us, and we all know how much of a tease you are. I honestly try to keep on loving you Nicole but you just make it so damn hard! You try and sabotage everything good in my life. Do you hate me that much?"_

"_At this moment? Yes I do!" Nicole screamed and ran out of the room._

"_Where do you think you are going? You are grounded young lady!" Natalie shouted, but it was no use. Nicole was gone. From then on no one could control Nicole and Natalie was past trying._

"And that is what happened, she was so desperate to hold on to him that she ignored me. It was from then on I realised, she needed a man so badly in her life that she would always put that need above me." Nicole finished her story after God knows how many tears. Aden just held her and let her cry. He now had no sympathy for Natalie; she brought all of this on herself, and unfortunately dragging Nicole with her. He didn't understand how someone who claims they love you could hurt you so severely, even his dad, in his drunken stupor would have never said such hurtful things to him or his brothers.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxo

"_**And I really, really need to speak to you. What have I done? Is it even to do with me, is it Nicole, or your insane mother? If it's Nicole, I would really want to know, she's my daughter too, well to me she is anyway. Please Nat, just call me or come and see me, I'm staying at the East Cherry Inn down the road. Call me please darling. I love you." **_Natalie finished listening to the voicemail on her phone and made a decision. She was going to meet Ray and listen to his side of the story. She did feel for him, she up and left the other day over a call which she never told him about and suddenly isn't answering his calls. So she would fill him in on what has been going on and then give him a chance to explain. She got up from her spot on the couch and went to get ready.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

After ten minutes she came back downstairs, dressed and a face full of make-up.

"Going on the pull so soon?" Nicole asked snidely, walking into the lounge.

"Actually I'm going to talk to Ray." She told her daughter, not wanting to lie. Although watching her daughter's reaction, lying may have been a safer option.

"Oh my God, you still don't believe me do you?" Nicole whispered at Natalie's shake of the head she continued, "I bet you still think I'm just a tease don't you? That I came on to him, and I plotted against you and this was all just a ploy to ruin your life. Because everything revolves around you doesn't it?" Nicole ranted. By now everyone was in the lounge room listening.

"No, that's not true" Natalie told her, "I believe you, I do and I never should have said that, I know that now. I was blinded by my love for him."

"You mean blinded by his love as oppose to your love for me?"

"You told our 17-year-old daughter that she was a tease?" Roman asked, truly shocked.

"Yeah, when I was 15." Nicole answered him.

"Look, I'm seeing Ray to tell him what is going on, he at least deserves that." Natalie stated with finality.

"That ass doesn't deserve anything." Lily said. Natalie just shook her head and walked out of the door.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxooxoxoxoxo

Natalie arrived at the East Cherry Inn a few minutes later and asked what room Ray was in. When she got to room 132 she hesitated before knocking. _Was she ready to face him? _Well it was too late now, so she raised her hand and knocked. She heard a rustling behind the door and then it opened, revealing the man she loved with all her heart, but hated with her entire soul. She never fully understood the saying; 'There is a thin line between love and hate' until now.

"You came." That was the third time Ray had said that.

"Yeah, I did." Natalie replied.

"Sorry, I just don't know what to say, and I don't want to say anything that will upset you."

"Do you want to get a coffee?" Lily asked, feeling uncomfortable sat in his motel room. He smiled brightly and held out his hand for her to take. She looked at it for a few seconds before standing and walking past him.

"I know a nice place." She told him while walking out of the door. They were only a few blocks from the café so they decided to walk, leaving a substantial amount of tension between them. He had tried to make small talk but Natalie was non-responsive, not knowing what to say and feeling like she was betraying Nicole. Natalie had suggested Macy's because it was where she had spent a lot of her childhood. Her best friend, Lola's grandparents had owned it and they would come home from school and get hot chocolate and a cake and just hang out. Back in the day before she discovered the pleasures of boys and alcohol. Thinking of her adolescence made her wonder how she ever punished Nicole for her follies when she had been 10 times worse. At Nicole's age she was pregnant and living with her grandparents, for her parents had kicked her out. She had hated her mum for the longest time after that, but then she went and did the same to Nicole. They weren't lying when they said 'Like mother, like daughter.'

"What do you want?" Ray asked, noticing that far away look in her eye as when she would flit back and forth from past to present. He knew that wasn't a good sign. She usually only got like that when her mother or Roman was mentioned, and now here she was living with both of them.

"Um, I'll have a double shot espresso please, I didn't sleep much." She said and went to grab the booth by the door, her and Lola's favourite. Being back had brought an unusual feeling of nostalgia that she never felt in Hollywood. It was never really home, neither was Sydney.

"So, are you going to tell me why we are here then?" Ray asked handing her the coffee.

"Well, you're the one who rang me." Natalie reminded him.

"Ok, let me phrase that differently, what was that phone call all about?"

"What are you talking about?" Natalie feigned ignorance.

"Well, I'm assuming that is what this is about. You got that phone call, rushed out of the house and then ignore my calls and refuse to see me. Then I get mouthed at by a boy snuggling up to Nicole, and then punched by her father. Has she told you a lie about me or something?" Natalie noticed the hint of jealousy in his voice as he spoke of Aden, and that was what made her not feel remotely sorry when she noticed the big black eye.

"Why don't you tell me, you know, give you a chance to redeem yourself."

"Um, I really have no idea what you are talking about. Can you just cut the games and fill me in love?" Hearing him say the little things like love and darling used to make little shivers run up her spine, now they just make her nauseous.

"How about you tell me why you had sex with my daughter?" She said loudly enough to turn a few heads, but surprisingly enough she didn't care.

"Don't tell me we're on to this again, I already told you she's lying, I never touched the girl." She spotted the hesitation in his voice, it's funny how much you miss out on when you trust someone. Or maybe she had just wanted to believe it so much that she had ignored it. That thought made her feel sick to her stomach, she knew subconsciously and just chose to ignore it, what kind of mother was she?

"If you would have told me that a few days ago, I'd of believed you without hesitation, hell I did believe you, no questions. But now I know without a doubt in my mind that you abused my baby girl, and you are going to jail for that." She stated with conviction.

"Just let me talk to her, I can convince her to stop telling these awful lies. I will be willing to forgive her, I…" Natalie cut him off, fuming:

"You'd forgive her? Are you kidding me? You touch her up and you're doing the forgiving. You really are mentally screwed in the head." She got up and stormed out without turning back once.

________________________________________________________________________________

Reflections of your love have come to wither  
I thought I'd done my best to memorize  
A picture face of you and I together  
I haven't come to terms with how we said goodbye

Did you really care  
Care at all for me  
Did you really care  
Did you care at all for me

A displaced little girl wept years in silence  
And whispered wishes you materialized  
She pressed all night and they took keep of living  
And tried so many ways to keep her soul alive

Did you really care  
Care enough for me  
Did you really care  
Did you care at all for me

If I'm not quite good enough  
Or somehow undeserving of  
A mother's love  
You could've had the decency to give me hope  
Before you gave me lies

Don't you even care  
Just the slightest little bit for me  
Cause I really need to feel you care  
Even once upon a time for me

I need to believe  
In my heart of hearts of hearts you cared for me  
I need to understand  
Why you left me there so helplessly

Don't you even care  
Care at all for me  
Oh...

Reflections of your love have come to wither  
I thought I'd done my best to memorize


	6. Hide and Seek

A/n This is just a filler chapter, but enjoy :D

Title: Song by Imogen Heap.

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After her mother had left Nicole decided not to dwell on their argument, but instead have some fun! Besides isn't that what being 17 is all about? So she grabbed her dad and Aden and told them that they were coming shopping, no arguments. They were all too happy to oblige. She dragged them into every single clothing shop, buying plenty on her dad's credit card. They also had lunch and caught a film. By the end of the day they were so worn out that they just wanted to go home and sleep. But as they were nearly home Nicole decided she wanted a coffee. So they sent her in giving her their preference. She was really, genuinely happy, which was an odd occurrence for her. She had an amazing dad and an amazing…friend. Was that what Aden was? With everything that had been happening Nicole wasn't sure anymore. But she was ripped from her musings as she felt a tap on her shoulder. She really hated it when people did that; there was no need for it. She turned around ready to give said person an earful when she came face to face with the man that haunted her dreams.

"Nicole, can we please talk?" Ray pleaded, he look almost desperate. She knew this day would eventually come, when they would have to 'discuss why she needed so much attention' but she prayed for later. Thankfully she had an alibi, a car full waiting on their coffees. So it would have to wait.

"Sorry but my dad is waiting for me in the car, and he hates waiting." She replied noticing him squirm when she mentioned her dad. He hated it when she called Roman that, he would always insist that she call him dad, but she could never bring herself to do it. It was always Ray or mums husband. She grabbed her coffees and turned to leave.

"Nicole, please. Just, um, meet me here tomorrow. I really need to talk to you." She silently agreed and walked back to the car, her previous good mood now shattered as she awaited the talk.

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Roman had noticed Nicole's sudden change in mood when she got back in the car and debated whether to ask her about it and ruin her mood further or just let it be for now. He decided on the latter, if she wanted to she would tell him and she obviously didn't want to talk about it. Whereas Aden had decided the opposite and followed her upstairs when they got back.

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"So what happened?" Aden asked as soon as they were alone.

"What do you mean?" Nicole asked plonking herself down on her bed. Aden followed suit and asked her what happened in the coffee shop.

"Oh don't play dumb Nicole, you're not very good at it. Just tell me what happened."

"Fine, I ran into Ray. He asked me to meet him there tomorrow to talk and I agreed." She told him.

"Then I'm coming with you." At her shake of the head he continued, "I'll sit in a different booth, but just keep an eye on you. I don't want anything to happen to you." She finally accepted but on the condition that he not try and eavesdrop, she may have told him some things, but she didn't want him to know everything.

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Ray was positioned at the same booth that Natalie and him had been the previous day. Nicole entered the café gingerly, glancing around the room with Aden in tow. Ray looked over and noticed she wasn't alone. He got up, about to protest when Nicole stopped him,

"He's just waiting for me, go sit over there." She pointed to a booth at the far end of the coffee shop so that he could still see them, but not here anything. He pulled her into a hug and whispered into her hair that he was there if she needed anything and walked off, squeezing her hand as he went. Nicole took a deep breath and sat opposite Ray.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" She asked, looking anywhere but his eyes.

"I want you to tell me why you said what you said." Ray answered bluntly.

"What do you mean?" Nicole asked nonchalantly, staring at her manicure.

"Why you said that I…" Ray raised his voice, but then lowered it realising where they were, "Why you said that I raped you."

"They believed me didn't they?" Nicole answered, finally looking up. She saw the hurt in his eyes and wanted to smash his head on the table. "Are we done here? Because Aden and I are going somewhere." She noticed the twitch in his jaw as she mentioned Aden's name, it gave her a thrill knowing she had that effect on people.

"I want you to tell your mum that I never touched you." He stated.

"And why would I do that?" She asked, challenging him.

"Your mother was happy with me, you know she was. That kills you doesn't it? That she was more happy spending time with me than being with you." Ray smirked, a facial expression of his that Nicole couldn't stand.

"You know, I really don't think pissing me off will make me do what you want." She scoffed; he really was a charmer wasn't he?

"Look Nicole, I just want me and your mother back together, I love her and I know she still loves me. Please, just do the right thing." Ray pleaded. She looked at him one last time, before getting up and walking towards Aden.

"You ready to go?" She asked once she reached him.

"Yeah, but I could really do with a hug." He wrapped his arms around her and she smirked, wishing she could see Rays face right now. He always hated all of her boyfriends; he liked to play the dad card as often as possible. She hated it more than anything; she had a dad and didn't need another. He grabbed her hand and led her outside, glaring over at Ray as they left.

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Nicole was confused. What exactly were her and Aden? Were they just friends? Or were they more than that? They were really close at the moment, always with each other but they had never discussed anything about them. She didn't even know if there was a 'them'. She decided that she would ask him, that night. He was coming over to hang out and watch a few films; Nicole figured that she could just bring it up as they were watching one.

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It was about 8:30 when Aden turned up. Lily was out for the night, Nicole wasn't sure what she was doing, but she told her to not wait up. Roman was out for a few beers with his old school mates, and Natalie was booked into a motel down the road. She figured it would be better to give Nicole some space, so they had the house to themselves.

"Hey, I brought a selection, I didn't know what you'd want to watch." He told her, walking in and putting them on the coffee table in the lounge.

"I don't mind, you pick."

"Okay" He put in The Hitcher, a horror film that neither had seen.

It was about half way through the movie when Aden put his arm round her. She turned towards him and studied him for a moment.

"What?" He turned towards her, feeling her staring at him.

"What are we?" She asked straightforwardly.

"Umm…what do you mean?" He questioned, wondering where she was going with this.

"I mean what are we, friends or something more."

"Well, what do you want us to be?" He asked watching her carefully.

"What do you want to be?"

"Well, something more," He said shyly, but hastily added, "But I totally understand if you are not ready." She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was this the same boy that everyone warned her about? Because this boy did not seem the slightest bit spiteful or malicious.

"I'm ready, believe me." She replied. He leaned forward to kiss her, which she eagerly accepted. After pulling apart, Nicole snuggled into him and watched the movie.

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When Lily walked in the door she heard a blood-curling scream. She raced into the living room afraid of what she would find. She was relieved to find that it was only the T.V and began to make her way into the kitchen. She looked back and noticed someone's hand flopping over the sofa. She walked back in and realised that Nicole and Aden had fallen asleep. They looked so sweet and peaceful. Aden had his arms firmly wrapped around Nicole and she was lead curled into his side with her face in his chest. She ran and got her camera, careful not to wake them and snapped a picture. Now, she knew it was one of her own rules that no one sleeps downstairs but they looked so peaceful. Plus, she couldn't expect Aden to go home at this hour and she couldn't condone them spending the night in Nicole's room, even if they were just friends. So she picked up a blanket and covered them with it. With that she went up to bed.

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Aden awoke to a clanging sound in his ear. He started to get up to investigate when he noticed someone's hand clamped over his stomach and someone's head lying on his chest. Then all of last night's events came flooding back, causing a big grin to appear on his face. Him and Nicole were now official. He had wanted this from the beginning, but he knew he had to wait, especially after everything she had been through. Everyone thought he was just some big bad bully, but they never took the time to get to know the real Aden, except Nicole. She was one of a kind. All his moving around must have woke Nicole; she glanced up at him, sleep apparent in her eyes.

"Morning," she croaked, giving him a small smile.

"Very good morning," Aden replied, leaning forward giving her a peck on the lips. Her smile widened. She climbed off of him and asked him if he wanted any breakfast.

"Yes please" He got up grabbed her hand and led their way to the kitchen. Lily turned as she heard footsteps on the tiles.

"Oh, hello kids did you have a good night?" Lily asked, dishing them up some pancakes.

"Yes thanks, did you?" Nicole asked taking her bowl and tucking in.

"It was lovely thank you. Just catching up with some old friends." Nicole contemplated telling her grandmother about her and Aden. She was becoming closer to her and thought of her as a mother figure now. That sounded horrible, as her real mother was only down the road but Lily had helped her be a better person and was the reason she met Aden in the first place. She would wait until Aden had gone anyway.

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"Grandma, can I talk to you a second please." Nicole asked later on. Aden had gone home to shower and see his dad. He was then coming back to pick her up so they could go to the movies.

"Sure, sit down."

"I don't really know why I'm telling you this, but I feel like we have become closer, and I don't really have anyone else to talk to, except my dad, and that would be a little bit awkward." Nicole rambled.

"Yes, carry on."

"Well, me and Aden are dating now."

"Oh, well congratulations." Lily got up and hugged Nicole. "I knew you seemed happier today." Nicole beamed and ran upstairs to change thanking Lily as she went.

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Aden knocked on the door of Lily's house checking over his appearance. Roman answered with a stern look on his face.

"I know that you and Nicole are dating now, and I am quite relieved it is you, you seem like a nice enough guy. But I am just warning you now, you hurt her and you have to deal with me, got it?" Roman warned, there were some perks to being in the army.

"I promise you, I will do my best to not hurt her, she's been through enough. Roman smiled and patted him on the back. Just at that moment Nicole appeared at the door with a smile on her face.

"Bye daddy." She leaned up and kissed him before greeting Aden, grabbing his hand and leading him towards his car.

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Ray sat in his car, a little away from Lily's house and watched Nicole with Roman and Aden. He hated seeing her with another boy, she was his little girl and she wasn't allowed to be seeing other guys. But what he really, really hated was watching her with Roman, her 'real' dad. She acted like he was the one who brought her up, but he had only been in her life for two years. He didn't raise her, yet she loved him more than anyone. He just didn't understand.


End file.
